HMMAS chief executive up for theft of US$246k

**HMMAS Chief Executive Officer, Everisto Rukasha, 56, arriving that Harare Magistrates' Courts charged with stealing US$246 500**

Michael Mashiri

Harare Municipal Medical Aid Society’s suspended Chief Executive Officer, has been arraigned to court on allegations of stealing more than US$240 000.

Everisto Rukasha, 57, of Borrowdale, appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts facing theft charges.

He will appear in court on November 11, for his routine remand.

The complainant in this matter is HMMAS, a medical aid society which is a subsidiary of City of Harare.

The State, through prosecutor Pardon Dziva, alleges from March 2013 to October 2014, Rukasha personally collected cash from City of Harare, Finance Department, which was from members’ subscriptions on behalf of HMMAS.

After receiving money, he would sign cash acknowledgement receipt forms generated by City of Harare as proof that he had received the money on behalf of HMMAS.

Rukasha, would be required to hand over all the collected money to HMMAS cash office for receipting, banking and subsequent use by the society.

The officers at the society cash office would prepare a receipt as acknowledgement of the money.

The person paying the money would also be given a copy of the receipt.

The State alleges that on different occasions, Rukasha collected a total US$441 628, but only handed over US$195 128 to the cash office and US$246 500 to his own benefit.